One day Jesus was asked a question by a lawyer not because he wanted to know the answer but to put Jesus to the test. Now I do not want to put too much of my own personal experience with lawyers into what this one might have been like. However, the fact that Luke tells us that the lawyer asked Jesus this question to test Him tells us something about him.
The setting of this test was when 70 of had returned from their ministry trip that Jesus had sent them out on in pairs of two. Upon returning they were ecstatic. They told Jesus that even the demons were subjected to them because they had the authority of the name of Jesus the Christ. So, it was a time of excitement because they were realizing that in the name of Jesus, they had power and authority as well. Not bad for some hicks from Galilee out of which we have been told no one good could come out of, but I digress…
In this time or recounting and rejoicing this lawyer decides to put Jesus to the test. Now we all realize that is a bad idea from the start. Jesus would be far more interested in interacting with the sick and broken people in the land…but a lawyer…not so much. Nevertheless, the lawyer asks;
“Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?”
To which Jesus responds; “Listen you are the lawyer so tell us what The Law says and how does it read to you?” To which he replies;
“You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your strength, and with all your mind; and your neighbor as yourself.”
To which Jesus replied; “Survey Said…ding, ding, ding…you are correct.” But the lawyer knew that his answer was correct, but his testing of Jesus was the second question he asked;
“And who is my neighbor?”
Thinking he had Jesus backed into a corner he was not ready for His answer. Jesus tells him a story about a man who was walking down from Jerusalem on his way to Jericho, a trip of about 15 miles. Suddenly, he is jumped by robbers who stripped him, beat him, and left him half dead. Lying there in shock, half-naked, and bleeding his hope for help rises when he sees a priest coming down the road. Not a 6-lane highway with a guardrail down the middle but probably a path about 6-8 feet wide.
Lo and behold this priest has no intention of getting involved in that mess so he crosses the path and walks on by. Even though he is a priest and the man beaten and injured was a fellow Jew this priest has no intention to help someone who was really in pain and needed help. No doubt he had places to go and people to see and had no time to really help anyone who needed help.
However, that’s ok because the man sees another person coming toward him who was a Levite. Levites were descendants of Levi who had nothing to do with inventing jeans but that tribe served God in the Temple and depended on the tithes from their fellow Jews so that they could do their work for God and received their funding from the people. Surely, this Levite would be appreciative of the fact that he lived on the dole of the people and would stop to give some assistance. But no … he was too busy looking at his smart-tablet and also crossed to the other side of the path making it easier to ignore his brother in need.
Then, along comes a Samaritan…a half breed born from the union between a Gentile and a Jew. They were hated and despised by the Jews which might have caused him even more concern because they were enemies and perhaps this man would finish him off out of his racial prejudice. But to his complete shock this Samaritan, when he saw the injured man, had compassion on him. He saw this man, not a Jew or a Gentile or a Samaritan…but as a man, a fellow human being who needed help.
He bandaged his wounds after pouring oil and wine on them, lifted him up, and placed him on his own beast Then he carefully escorted him to the nearest inn where he could get food, drink, and shelter. Staying the night with him, the man leaves his wounded friend and he gives money to the innkeeper and told him if it was not enough to put everything else on his tab and he would pay it later.
Then, Jesus askes the lawyer;
“Which of these three do you think proved to be a neighbor
to the man who fell into the robbers’ hands?”
The answer was obvious to the lawyer, but the words must have been somewhat stuck in his throat as he replied; “The one who showed mercy toward him.” I wonder if earlier that very day this lawyer had ignored someone who was suffering.
What was the difference between these three men who saw the injured man? It had nothing to do with their race, nationality, or ethnicity even though those things were present. The difference was the first two were too busy in too much of a hurry to go do something else, or worse yet did not care that another human being was hurting and needed help.
The difference was the Samaritan had compassion. He saw this beaten and injured man and moved with compassion did what needed to be done to help him even though there was animosity for centuries between them. No matter…help was needed, and help was delivered.
It is time, right now, for us as people who claim the name of Christ to have compassion. It is time to love God completely and to love others in this world no matter who they are or how they look. In America, there is right now a mass of humanity who have been enslaved, beaten, and even killed because of the color of their skin. These are our brothers and sisters if not in Christ as Christians…are in the human race and should be shown love and be helped and not murdered by those who have a duty to protect and serve.
Will you be part of the problem or part of the solution today? Make a difference and make a difference NOW by doing something Samaritan-like.